‘Bath Bomb’ deactivated and blown up in quarry

The buried WWII bomb that disrupted life in the English city of Bath last week has been safely removed and disposed of in a quarry.

As many as 1,000 homes in the abbey city were evacuated on the night of 12 May after building contractors using a digger unearthed an unexploded 500lb shell (pictured), thought to be a left-over from the “Bath Blitz” of 1942.

Roads and schools were closed the following day (13 May) as police bomb experts worked to erect a barrier around the device using 250 tonnes of sand.

At around 8pm local police announced that the bomb, which they confirmed as a left-over from WWII, had been deactivated.

Traffic was disrupted further as a military vehicle under police escort transported the bomb out of the city of approximately 89,000 people.

According to reports, the bomb was then subject to a controlled explosion in a quarry near Shepton Mallet, approximately 18 miles away.